


Growing Pains

by monstertots



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Crying, Dealing With Trauma, Gen, Nightmares, baby wu but You Know, i dislike using that tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-10-04 02:49:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17296322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monstertots/pseuds/monstertots
Summary: Lloyd deals with the effects of Wu being back





	Growing Pains

Lloyd held the small child close to his body as it tried to twist and push away, for some reason wanting to walk around rather than just sit and eat. He pressed the cup back towards the child as it just pushed back with all the strength he had and whined. Lloyd sighed, putting the cup down and stood, lifting the kid up high and smiling as it shrieked in laughter. Toddler, he estimated. But he was never good with kids’ ages.

“Lloyd!” The small voice called out gleefully as he swung him up and down again. It caused Lloyd’s heart to seize up in joy. He hadn’t realized before how much he liked kids. Small, kind, innocent. The only words he could think of when looking at the one in his arms, along with the strong feeling of needing to protect it. He decided to try to get him to eat (drink?) again, sitting down and giving him the cup which he finally took, causing Lloyd to hum in content. Finally able to relax, he listened to the calming sound of the other ninja’s voices as they whispered to each other near the side of the bounty. He couldn’t pick up any of the words they were saying as they were a few feet away and talking too low, but he still took comfort in the sound.

 

“Hey..” Kai greeted as he walked over, grabbing the other’s elbow gently and placing his other hand on Lloyd’s shoulder as he leaned in close to speak.

“What’s up?” Lloyd asked, not knowing why the everyone was staying so quiet but following suit.

“We um…” Kai closed his eyes, scratching the back of his neck. “We think the kid might be Wu.”

 

His heart stopped suddenly at the words.

 

“Well more than think. He’s aging really fast, and taking on his traits, and saying stuff like our motto? I-”

 

Lloyd couldn’t listen anymore. His entire stomach churned and he felt like his insides were being turned inside out and about to expel. He almost released his grip on accident but caught it and his vision felt like it was failing him even though he could still see.

 

“Kai-”

“I know that we didn’t know if we would see him again, and that you...and you were-”

“KAI!” He yelled, shocking the other to snap out of his monologue and look at him. “Please...please take the kid from me before I fucking drop it.”

He felt the weight be lifted from his arms and he stood instantly, quickly breathing out a thanks before rushing to the inside of the ship.

 

Once inside, Lloyd rushed to the bathroom, shutting the door and gripping the sides of the sink and he looked in the mirror. He didn’t see himself it felt as if he was looking straight at a plain wall.

“ **Fuck** , fuck fuck, fuck, **_oh god_ **-” He cussed, clawing his nails into both his shoulders as he held himself and scratched down the length of his arms, leaving behind irritated lines.

“It’s just a kid. It’s just a kid. It’s just a kid.” Repeating the words Lloyd wiped the tears he had felt start to leak down his face. “Who’s to say he will be just the same?” He asked himself, looking back into the mirror before hissing as he felt more tears bubble up and purposefully smacked his head against the edge of the sink. Holding the sides of it Lloyd continued to whack himself a few more times with less vigor until he stopped and slunk to the floor.

“I-I don’t….want to go through it again.” Sobbing he pressing his hands into his eyes, trying to keep himself from crying any more, but his body ignored him and continued to shake as he curled up on himself.

 

* * *

 

“Lloyd?” A gentle voice called through the closed door. “Are you alright?”

He sat up at the sound, scrubbing at his face but making no difference. Standing slowly and unsteady Lloyd turned on the cold water for the sink, catching the water in cupped hands and pressing his face into it. Stinging and cool. He let out a deep breath, sticking his head under the faucet, trying to chill as much of his heated skin as possible.

“Can I come in?” The voice spoke up again.

Lloyd made a strange silent noise in the back of his throat, unable to speak. Turning off the water he grabbed a towel and dried his head as well as he could before opening the door.

 

 _Nya_. She stood there concerned and a little bit scared but instantly reached out to him. Lloyd took the opening, leaning into her and letting her take his weight. “Are you okay?” She asked again but Lloyd just buried his face into her shoulder and hair. He hiccuped, he didn’t want to start crying again. But he could already feel some tears run down his face. They weren’t hot and painful like before, just cold and wet.

He could feel Nya’s hand in his hair as she tried to soothe him, and he tried his best not to get any of his tears on her. But they were already dripping down his face, so he just clutched to her.

“I don’t….I CAN’T-”

She shushed him a bit but Lloyd just shook his head in response.

“I _can’t_...I can’t do it again. I just can’t.”

“It’s okay.”

“I…I don’t- I don’t want to SEE him again.” Lloyd took a deep breath, holding her closer. “I thought….I thought it was over. But he just! _Comes_ **_BACK_** _!_ ”

 

They both stood there for a while. No more tears came from Lloyd, but he still felt like he was crying.

 

* * *

 

It was sunset outside, the blue of the sky almost completely blotted out with the stark reflections of red and orange cast on the clouds and water under Lloyd. He was leaning his back on the railing of a bridge at the moment, listening to the river it was built over. The area they were in wasn’t very familiar to him. He wasn’t even sure why they had stopped.

Swinging around he slumped forward, putting all his weight on the under parts of his arms and top of his chest as he reached over the barrier, looking deep into the water as it swirled and he grasped downward. He was lost in the sight, feeling like he was being pulled further.

“A return.” The sudden voice made Lloyd jump, standing up straighter and twisting a bit so he could see the source. A mash of black robes stood next to him.

Lloyd opened his mouth to speak but the figure was already interrupting him. “He’s back, is he not?”

He sighed bringing his arms up on the barrier and crossing them. “Ye-” He started his reply before looking around questioningly. “Yes.”

Night was about to fall. Darkness crept around fast and Lloyd moved to walk away, wanting to get away before it consumed them.

“How is that?” It asked. Its voice sounded like gravel scraping at Lloyd’s ears; a smile audibly dripping off the question. The figure moved, catching Lloyd by the shoulder and turning him back around against the bridge. “Are you going to kill him?” It crept its hand up further. “Again?” Up around his neck. “A _child_?” Picking at his skin.

“I-” Lloyd hit the appendage away. “No-”

“Sounds like you’re asking.” The figure didn’t back off. “I would say it’s fair...he’s killed one too.”

Lloyd stared, deciding on no response to the voice that melded itself in his mind, dribbling in satisfaction.

“I would dare to say he’s even killed **_two_ **.” It mused, and Lloyd was too slow for the next action. It grabbed and pushed him, his back smacking on the railing and he flailed over into the water below.

 

The water expanded, into bodies, oceans.

Lloyd tried to pull himself upward, but the movements were too rapid. He was allowed short breaths of air before being plunged into more, sputtering as he breathed the liquid. Something weighed him down, pulling, consuming.

His brain rattled. The water became thicker, trapping him in death and darkness. He could hear something close to laughing claw at his ears. He choked, not able to breathe or escape as he was pulled deeper.

 

Lloyd spasmed awake, coughing and choking. Trying to expel from his lungs fluid and sludge that never existed. Once he was able to settle, no longer feeling surrounded or panicked, he held his face in his hands.

Earlier, he had decided to sleep. He had felt wiped out, so he hadn’t wanted to be up and around trying to interact with the others or stay below deck and be alone. So he had slept.

It felt like an escape and he wouldn’t call it anything different.

**Author's Note:**

> fuck wu
> 
> I ALMOST FORGOT but uhhh lil easter egg bc the line that said so didn't make it in: nightmare guy is the overlord. Real him or not


End file.
